MADISON, WI (June 15, 2002)  Four grants totaling $500,000 were awarded to cities participating in the "Lead Safe…For Kid's Sake" grant program. The Award for Excellence and a grant of $200,000 was given to Baltimore, MD. Three Awards for Distinction and grants of $100,000 each were given to Chicago, IL, Trenton, NJ and Indianapolis, IN.

Orlando Mayor and Cities United for Science Progress (CUSP) Chair Glenda Hood and DuPont Senior Vice President, Chief Administrative Officer and General Counsel Stacey J. Mobley announced the winners of the grants during the U.S. Conference of Mayor's 70th Annual Meeting in Madison, WI.

The CUSP "Lead-Safe...For Kid's Sake" grants are awarded to cities for their efforts in proposing and/or demonstrating excellence in implementing effective solutions to make their neighborhoods lead-safe. More than seventy cities submitted applications for consideration by an independent panel of judges. Grant recipients are able to use the funds for existing programs or to launch new initiatives.

"As chair of CUSP, I am delighted to stand with our partner, DuPont, in recognizing excellence and distinction in America's cities," said Hood. "Thanks to these generous grants from DuPont, children across the country will be healthier, stronger and have better futures. We hope that mayors in these award-winning cities serve as an example for other cities and that their creative programs and initiatives can be replicated."

CUSP, a partnership of the U.S. Conference of Mayors and DuPont, visits cities across the country and teams up with mayors to assist them in creating healthier, safer and more innovative and economically vibrant cities through science-based solutions.

"DuPont is proud to support the 'Lead-Safe...For Kid's Sake' Grant Program," said Mobley. "These award-winning cities truly exemplify the type of innovative thinking that is necessary to make our cities lead-safe and to ensure a brighter tomorrow for our nation's children. I commend every city that applied to the program. The work they are doing helps to meet the challenge of making our cities lead safe."

USCM Executive Director, J. Thomas Cochran added, "We thank the participating cities from across the country for their warm welcome and active interest in CUSP's 'Lead-Safe...For Kid's Sake' Grant Program. DuPont and the U.S. Conference of Mayors are proud of the award-winning cities and look forward to following their example and continued success as they develop and maintain lead-safe programs and initiatives in their communities."